Chapter Summaries

Qin Yuyao suspected Ye Wumian had helped lure Xiao Ruoyun away and plotted against her, and she resolved to tell Fu Hongyan the truth when her senior sister returned. Entering the Imperial Palace for a dangerous meeting with Consort Xia, Qin Yuyao activated Marquis Zhenguo's Manor’s secret agents and was greeted with unexpected familiarity.

• Qin Yuyao concluded that Ye Wumian had betrayed Fu Hongyan by using her in a plot against Qin Yuyao.
• Qin Yuyao decided she would tell Fu Hongyan that Ye Wumian was involved in the attempt on her life once Xiao Ruoyun returned.
• Qin Yuyao entered the Imperial Palace with Wu'er and Zi'er, carrying poison and contacting the palace’s secret agents.
• Qin Yuyao went alone into Consort Xia’s main hall after a palace maid revealed the secret-agent emblem.
• Consort Xia warmly greeted Qin Yuyao by name, prompting Qin Yuyao to question their supposed closeness.

Consort Xia summoned Qin Yuyao and tried to poison her with Gut-Severing Crimson, then ordered an ambush when Qin Yuyao refused the tea. Qin Yuyao realized the Imperial Family was behind the attack, but remained calm because she had prepared covert agents and allies among the attackers.

• Consort Xia welcomed Qin Yuyao as family and offered her tea laced with Gut-Severing Crimson.
• Qin Yuyao recognized the poison and set the teacup down without drinking it.
• Consort Xia accused Qin Yuyao of refusing her gift and admitted she wanted to kill her to secure her position.
• Consort Xia's maidservants drew daggers as the sealed hall filled with more than twenty hidden dead warriors.
• Qin Yuyao suspected the Emperor and Imperial Family had arranged the attack, but stayed calm because she had contacted palace agents and had allies among the six maidservants.

Qin Yuyao fought off an assassination attempt in Consort Xia’s hall, but the attackers overwhelmed her allies and left her close to death. After using her last poison to weaken the death warriors, she escaped with help from Marquis Zhenguo's Manor's spies, while Consort Xia alerted the Emperor.

• Qin Yuyao and her spy fought the six palace-maid assassins, but the spy was badly outnumbered when more than twenty death warriors attacked.
• The female spy was stabbed repeatedly and collapsed, leaving Qin Yuyao exposed to the death warriors.
• Zi'er and Wu'er forced their way into the hall to help Qin Yuyao, but both soon fell in battle.
• Qin Yuyao used her last dose of fast-acting poison on the death warriors, weakening them enough for her to escape.
• Marquis Zhenguo's Manor's spies arrived to help Qin Yuyao, while Consort Xia sent word to the Emperor.

Consort Xia regretted conspiring to kill Qin Yuyao as He Feng tortured the Eleventh Prince and vowed to make her witness the Xia Family’s destruction. The Eleventh Prince died, while He Feng kept Consort Xia alive for further punishment.

• Consort Xia reflected that her ambition to make the Eleventh Prince Crown Prince had led to her ruin and her family’s impending downfall.
• He Feng repeatedly stabbed the Eleventh Prince without killing him and rejected Consort Xia’s plea to spare her son from further suffering.
• He Feng ordered Consort Xia’s palace maids and eunuchs to stab the Eleventh Prince or face torture and threats against their families.
• The palace staff took turns stabbing the Eleventh Prince until he died, after which He Feng had them all killed.
• He Feng spared Consort Xia so she would live to witness the destruction of the Xia Family and the new Marquis Yongping’s Manor.

After Qin Yuyao was attacked, He Feng took brutal revenge on Consort Xia’s family and struck at the Crown Prince and Xiao Ruoyun, while Imperial Noble Consort Ling’s scandal further destabilized the palace. Qin Yuyao woke without amnesia but pretended she had lost her memory to punish He Feng for his past hesitation over Xiao Ruoyun.

• He Feng ordered Marquis Zhenguo's Guards to kill everyone in Marquis Yongping's Manor and burn it down with Consort Xia inside.
• He Feng sent assassins to the Crown Prince's residence; the Crown Prince was wounded, and Xiao Ruoyun was stabbed and left unable to bear children.
• Imperial Noble Consort Ling was caught with a guard, enraging Emperor Rong Gan and deepening the Imperial Family's crisis.
• He Feng knelt beside the sleeping Qin Yuyao and promised to stop sparing Xiao Ruoyun, unaware Qin Yuyao had already awakened and heard him.
• Rong Qing sought help from Crown Princess Gu Qingcheng, telling her Marquis Zhenguo's Manor had attacked him and Xiao Ruoyun.
• Qin Yuyao woke the next day and pretended to have lost her memory.

After Qin Yuyao woke with apparent amnesia, He Feng decided to win her love again, but she rejected him as her husband and treated him like a stranger. She flirted with his handsome friends and enjoyed her new freedom, leaving He Feng to accept her behavior as a consequence of her memory loss.

• Qin Yuyao woke up, pushed He Feng away, and asked where she was.
• He Feng blamed himself for her condition and resolved to make Qin Yuyao fall in love with him again.
• Qin Yuyao refused to share a bed with He Feng, rejected the son she had given birth to, and called her visiting sisters-in-law wicked women.
• Qin Yuyao flirted with He Feng's handsome friends and asked whether they would marry her, while He Feng explained that she had lost her memory.
• Qin Yuyao treated Madam Zhou as a sister and asked to borrow her emerald necklace.

Madam Zhou reluctantly gave Qin Yuyao her priceless Ancestor Green necklace after He Feng insisted that his wife should have it. Qin Yuyao continued to enjoy He Feng’s indulgence and live lavishly while her memory was lost.

• Qin Yuyao asked Madam Zhou for the Ancestor Green necklace, and He Feng urged his mother to let his wife wear it.
• He Feng threatened to beat up his future son if the boy would not let Qin Yuyao wear the necklace, and Madam Zhou eventually handed it over.
• Qin Yuyao snatched an untouched pastry from Madam Zhou and called her a pretty sister, easing Madam Zhou’s anger.
• Madam Zhou asked He Feng whether his mother or his wife mattered more, knowing his wife came first.
• Qin Yuyao continued living comfortably in Nishang Courtyard, receiving lavish care and enjoying He Feng’s devoted protection.

After returning home under He Feng’s heavy guard, Qin Yuyao took advantage of her amnesia to visit Yiyin Pavilion and enjoy its male courtesans. She left with revenge still on her mind and two striking young men introduced among the pavilion’s top courtesans.

• Qin Yuyao insisted on leaving Marquis Zhenguo’s Manor, so He Feng sent guards and gave her one hundred thousand taels for expenses.
• Qin Yuyao frequently went out with Zi’er’s belongings while searching for handsome young gentlemen.
• Qin Yuyao vowed to take revenge on Xiao Ruoyun, the Crown Prince, and the Emperor after she recovered and had tormented He Feng enough.
• Qin Yuyao visited Yiyin Pavilion, ordered its four top courtesans, and admired a cool young qin player who resembled He Feng and a stunning, flamboyantly dressed young man.

Qin Yuyao visited Yiyin Pavilion to drink with the capital’s four courtesans, while He Feng revealed he knew her amnesia was feigned and took her home. After Xiao Ruoyun arranged for Qin Nianhua to be transferred to the capital, He Feng captured her and exposed her to Rong Qing, who brought her back to the Crown Prince’s Residence and then went to the Crown Princess.

• Qin Yuyao drank with the four young masters at Yiyin Pavilion and playfully groped them while He Feng and Young Master Ouyang watched from upstairs.
• He Feng stopped Qin Yuyao and took her home, revealing that he had discovered her amnesia act on the first day when she checked her hidden money.
• Qin Yuyao learned that the Crown Princess had testified against her and that Xiao Ruoyun had prompted the Crown Prince to transfer Qin Nianhua to the capital.
• He Feng captured Xiao Ruoyun and left her with beggars, deliberately allowing Rong Qing to witness the scene.
• Rong Qing confronted Xiao Ruoyun, had the beggars killed, and took her back to the Crown Prince’s Residence.
• Rong Qing went to stay with the Crown Princess, who questioned his decision.

Rong Qing went to Gu Qingcheng after Xiao Ruoyun was violated, while Xiao Ruoyun reflected on how differently He Feng and Rong Qing treated the women they loved. Fu Hongyan learned Ye Wumian had deceived her about Qin Yuyao’s assassination and beat him, ending their relationship.

• Rong Qing tore at Gu Qingcheng’s clothes and vented his anger on her.
• Xiao Ruoyun compared Rong Qing’s response to her ordeal with He Feng’s devotion to Qin Yuyao.
• Ye Wumian’s bribed servants convinced Fu Hongyan that Qin Yuyao was well, allowing him to spend time with Fu Hongyan in her cave.
• People from the martial world told Fu Hongyan about Qin Yuyao’s assassination and Ye Wumian’s role in it.
• Fu Hongyan beat Ye Wumian until he was bruised and swollen, then said they would have nothing to do with each other again.

Ye Wumian accepted that he had to side with Xiao Ruoyun despite his feelings for Fu Hongyan. Meanwhile, He Feng arranged to poison Emperor Rong Gan and hoped the resulting struggle among the princes would let him place Young Master Rong on the throne.

• Ye Wumian weighed his loyalty to Xiao Ruoyun and the Ye Family against his feelings for Fu Hongyan, and chose the Ye clan's interests.
• After the Imperial Family purged Marquis Zhenguo's Manor's exposed spies, He Feng turned to Seven Kill Pavilion's agents inside the palace.
• He Feng planned to kill the Emperor and use the ensuing conflict among the princes to support Young Master Rong's claim to the throne.
• He Feng obtained a fast-acting, colorless, odorless poison from Qin Yuyao and sent A San to serve the Emperor.
• A San mixed poison into Emperor Rong Gan's tea and prepared to die alongside him.

Qin Yuyao met Qin Nianhua to urge him not to serve the Crown Prince and become a tool against her and He Feng. Qin Nianhua declared that he loved her and would marry her even if he had to raise her son as his own.

• Qin Yuyao arranged a meal with Qin Nianhua to persuade him to leave the Crown Prince's faction.
• Qin Nianhua became flustered while serving Qin Yuyao tea, and she coldly told him he should not have gotten involved.
• Qin Nianhua admitted he had accepted the Crown Prince's offer because it gave him a chance to enter the capital's noble circle and see Qin Yuyao.
• Qin Yuyao said she was happy with He Feng and reminded Qin Nianhua that they had a son.
• Qin Nianhua said he would accept a divorce and raise Qin Yuyao's son as his own.

Qin Yuyao urged Qin Nianhua not to let Xiao Ruoyun use him, but He Feng arrived with their son and showed how devoted he was to her. The chapter then outlined the factions competing to succeed the Emperor, identifying the First Prince as the Crown Prince’s strongest rival.

• Qin Yuyao warned Qin Nianhua that Xiao Ruoyun was her mortal enemy and might use him.
• He Feng brought their son to the restaurant, and Qin Nianhua realized Qin Yuyao had chosen He Feng.
• After returning to Nishang Courtyard, He Feng clung to Qin Yuyao and insisted that he only wanted her.
• The chapter described the princes’ factions and explained that the First Prince had powerful backing from the Empress and Consort Jing.

As Rong Gan's death left the throne contested, the Empress quietly conserved her faction's strength while the princes fought for succession. After Crown Prince Rong Qing survived six days of attacks, Xiao Ruoyun lured him into an ambush and killed him, revealing that he had died by her hand in both lives.

• The Empress kept her support for the First Prince limited and prepared to protect her own Lineage, regardless of who won the succession struggle.
• The First Prince, Sixth Prince, Tenth Prince, and Ninth Prince contested the throne, while He Feng backed the young Fifteenth Prince as a potential puppet.
• Xiao Ruoyun persuaded the Ninth Prince to pursue the throne and promised him a place at her side.
• Rong Qing survived six days of assassinations with the help of imperial death warriors, palace experts, and General Gu's protection.
• Xiao Ruoyun lured Rong Qing to her residence, where the Ninth Prince's, Sixth Prince's, and hired assassins' men ambushed him.
• After Rong Qing died, Xiao Ruoyun said that he had died by her hand in both lives.

Xiao Ruoyun learned that Rong Qing had left instructions for his loyal subordinates to support her if he died, even after she had betrayed him and been violated. With only one day left, she focused on helping the Ninth Prince claim the throne by using Rong Qing’s followers to accuse the First Prince.

• Xiao Ruoyun recalled that in her previous life she had chosen He Feng over Rong Qing and helped bring about the Crown Prince’s death.
• After Rong Qing died, his loyal subordinates submitted to Xiao Ruoyun because his will had ordered them to pledge their loyalty to her if he did not survive seven days.
• Xiao Ruoyun learned that Rong Qing had left her power and protection despite what had happened to her, and she realized he had not completely abandoned her.
• With one day remaining, Xiao Ruoyun continued working to support the Ninth Prince’s ascension to the throne.
• Xiao Ruoyun planned to have Rong Qing’s trusted aides testify that the First Prince’s men had caused his death, preventing the First Prince from becoming emperor.

He Feng took Qin Yuyao to an estate for a private outing, delighted by the Crown Prince’s death and eager to make up for neglecting her. When Qin Yuyao grew jealous after seeing him watch a little girl, he explained that he liked her flower wreath and wanted to make one for Qin Yuyao, leaving them reconciled and affectionate.

• He Feng took Qin Yuyao to the outskirts and celebrated the Crown Prince’s death, admitting he had founded Seven Kill Pavilion to kill him.
• Qin Yuyao accused He Feng of being happy that Xiao Ruoyun could no longer compete for him, and He Feng swore he would never let Xiao Ruoyun go while she lived.
• At the estate, He Feng stared at a little girl wearing a flower wreath, making Qin Yuyao jealous.
• He Feng told Qin Yuyao he had only admired the wreath and wanted to make one for her, then held her close and resolved not to disappoint her again.

After Rong Qing was assassinated on the eve of his enthronement, the court chose the Ninth Prince to take the throne. To secure his rule, the Ninth Prince appointed He Feng as Regent King.

• Qin Yuyao teased He Feng, and he carried her indoors.
• Rong Qing was assassinated in the Crown Prince's residence the day before he was due to ascend the throne.
• The court ruled out the First Prince and weighed the Sixth Prince and Ninth Prince as possible successors.
• Xiao Ruoyun presented witnesses to the Crown Prince's dying wishes and won the Gu Family's support for the Ninth Prince.
• The factions agreed that the Ninth Prince would inherit the throne.
• On his first day as ruler, the Ninth Prince appointed He Feng Regent King.

Ninth Prince secured the throne through a temporary peace with He Feng, while the other princes withdrew from the succession struggle. In the capital, Fu Hongyan missed Ye Wumian but, after hearing his family was arranging his marriage, resolved to find another man.

• Ninth Prince and He Feng reached a temporary agreement, and the other princes chose to submit or retreat to their fiefs.
• Fu Hongyan returned from the cave to spend time with Qin Yuyao, though she secretly missed Ye Wumian.
• News arrived that the Ye Family was arranging a marriage for Ye Wumian.
• Qin Yuyao offered to help Fu Hongyan reunite with Ye Wumian, but Fu Hongyan insisted she would find a man to marry before he did.
• Qin Yuyao hoped Fu Hongyan could be happy, even though she expected Ye Wumian and Xiao Ruoyun to remain enemies.

Fu Hongyan’s blunt marriage proposals and threats drove away her match, Young Master Ge, while Qin Yuyao abandoned matchmaking after Fu Hongyan beat him. Fu Hongyan then set her sights on Yiyin Pavilion and recalled how she had traded poisonous herbs with Madam Zhou for a large fortune and her own residence.

• Qin Yuyao arranged for Fu Hongyan to meet Young Master Ge, but Fu Hongyan asked him to be her man or male pet and threatened to beat him.
• Fu Hongyan punched Young Master Ge when he tried to leave, and Qin Yuyao stopped the fight after his cries alerted her.
• Fu Hongyan’s reputation for being crazed and fierce spread, so Qin Yuyao stopped arranging matches for her.
• Fu Hongyan decided to seek a male companion at Yiyin Pavilion after taking Qin Yuyao’s joking suggestion to heart.
• Fu Hongyan had traded half of a poisonous herb and other Poisonous Herbs to Madam Zhou for 1.6 million taels of silver and a separate residence with a large garden.

Fu Hongyan confronted Ye Wumian over his loyalty to Xiao Ruoyun, then fled before she could finish their meal. Seeking to forget Ye Wumian, she poisoned Li Ye and brought him to a secluded courtyard, where she began seducing him.

• Fu Hongyan ran into Ye Wumian on her way to Yiyin Pavilion, and he stopped her from going to find male concubines by inviting her to eat at a shop he had bought in her name.
• During their meal, Fu Hongyan asked whether Ye Wumian would still help Xiao Ruoyun if she and Qin Yuyao fought again, and he said he would.
• Ye Wumian questioned why Fu Hongyan would not betray Qin Yuyao to be with him, so Fu Hongyan flew out the window and ran off.
• Fu Hongyan encountered Li Ye on the rooftops, fought him, and used her Three-Day Intoxication poison on him.
• Fu Hongyan took Li Ye to a secluded courtyard in Marquis Zhenguo's Manor and began undressing and pressing herself against him.